You can’t help feeling a bit sorry for the Klaxons. Rounded up and branded like cattle with the nu-rave tag, a genre any band would disapprove of, then being told by the label to re record parts of album number two after alleged prog sessions that we would all love to hear. After a frankly exhausting three year wait coupled with interviews where they confessed they might not have had it in them, its finally here, and the great news is, they haven’t done an MGMT!
Of course, the important factor we all need to know is, does the cover art have any correlation between the sound? Well, it doesn’t sound like a cat being blasted into space, but its fairly close. Surfing the Void is certainly a vast, expansive and deep album. Gone is the ‘rave’ and replaced by a psychedelic, aggressive electro edge. Not too dissimilar from the more accomplished tracks from their debut. Gathering everything that worked before, honing both the bombast and subtlety before inflating it into individual planets of sound.
Opener and recent single, Echoes juxtaposes breathy slow verses with a chorus that would make the dead dance. Title track, Surfing the Void is Atlantis to Interzone’s spiritual successor. A barrage of distorted guitars, the hammering of piano keys and punchy beats accompanied by harmonising vocals they are known for, its initially difficult to muster but slowly reveals itself to be a bit of a belter. Both Valley of the trees and Venusia are equally outstanding and aside from the already released, possibly the most single worthy. The latter of the two starts with a mysterious almost foreboding swirling keyboard and evolves into a goosebump chorus, around the 2 minute mark, it changes into electro prog stamp-along when the lyrics suddenly change into repeats of “Take me by the hand”, waves of euphoria here.
Flashover, a track that was cheekily teased on the internet a while back is a confrontational electro punk joyride, think Does it offend you, yeah? and The Prodigy on a cocktail binge and you are about there. Finally, Cypherspeed, possibly one of the albums weaker moments is a wall of out of tune guitar noodling and a knackered arcade machine keyboard drone.
So…what’s the bad news? Well, none really. It doesn’t contain anything as catchy as Golden Skans. On the initial listen a number of tracks appear chaotic and lacking in focus, after a while each of the songs qualities become more apparent and shine though. For what it lacks in glaringly obvious, standout single material, it does provide a deeper, yet accessible listen.
They did have it in them, it just took time to find their sound. The set backs and time spent pays dividends, it has not only produced a great album, but given the Klaxons time to grow from NME darlings to a fully accomplished and individual band. As a whole album, which is how it should be listened to, it kicks Myths of the near future’s arse to space and back. Although they might not have any massive hits off this record, it is an accomplishment in the truest sense of the word. Finally the band can shake off the nu rave credentials and stand proudly on their own.
8
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